Ezekiel’s prophetic leadership spanned several years. Multiple years. Years of living a message and speaking a message to deaf ears. Years of a “trust” from the Lord, a trust that was obviously important in the Lord’s plan. But they were years full of heartache, full of loss and nothing like the success we anticipate and long to see.
How does a leader continue to stay in the trust when everything seems to be loss? How does a leader lead when it would seem no one is following? Some might argue Ezekiel was not a leader. However, prophets are considered one of the biblical leadership expressions.
One answer is in looking at the regular references made throughout Ezekiel. The Lord speaks to him! Regularly! Often! Leaders can lose their way in the craziness of challenges, resource shortages and rejection. Ezekiel is living out of his calling, out of his time with the Lord.
Leaders are given a trust from the Lord. Without regular times with the Lord, without hearing His voice and moving to His step, we will be tempted to exit. Leadership is hard, very hard. But it is an amazing trust from the Lord. Living in that trust, living in that intimacy with the Lord, empowers leaders to stay in the game when the game is way out of hand. Hearing the Lord’s voice can remind a leader that they are serving the Most High, not creating a platform to be noticed.
You have a call on your life, an incredible trust from the Lord. What He has asked you to do is important even if no one notices, even if no one cares.
Years can go by and the measurement can be that nothing is happening. Can you lead then? Can you live in His trust of your calling and live in the awareness that His destiny for you is significant? That’s where leaders go for courage, to the Most High and to His calling upon their lives!